To assess the diagnostic performance of whole body diffusion weighted imaging with background suppression (WBDWIBS) and no contrast agents in assessment of liver metastasis in breast cancer patients compared to enhanced 18 FDG-PET-CT.

50 patients with pathologically proven breast cancer having suspicious liver lesions by ultrasound; underwent both F-18-FDG PET-CT and WB-MRI/DWIBS. The study participants were categorized according to the phase of the disease at the time of presentation into two groups; pretherapy group including pathologically proved breast carcinoma lesions after biopsy or post-lumpectomy (A) , and post therapy group including patients who were receiving or had finished therapy (B). Ethical approval was...

F-18 FDG PET-CT demonstrated slightly higher specificity indices than MR-DWIBS while the MRDWIBS displays higher sensitivity indices than FDG PET CT. A high degree of the agreement also existed between DWIBS and PET CT.

WB-MRI/DWIBS is a promising tool in evaluation of liver metastasis in breast cancer patient. CLINICAL RELEVANCE/APPLICATION Easy technique for detection and assessment of metastasis with no radiation exposure or contrast agents.

1 Kwee TC, Takahara T, Ochiai R, Nievelstein RAJ, Luijten PR. Diffusion-weighted whole-body imaging with background body signal suppression (DWIBS): features and potential applications in oncology. European Radiology. 2008;18(9):1937-1952. doi:10.1007/s00330-008-0968-z. 2 Takahara T1, Imai Y, Yamashita T, Yasuda S, Nasu S, Van Cauteren M.; Diffusion weighted whole body imaging with background body signal suppression (DWIBS): technical improvement using free breathing, STIR and high resolution...